The modular office system, illustrated in Propst Pat. Nos. 3,418,765 and 3,517,467, solved a wide range of problems in the general office facility enabling the creation of highly functional, dynamic open plan areas. However, there is a need for fully private space enclosures in today's office environment based on the desire for acoustic privacy and for security. There is a need in modular office systems for the ability to communicate in complete confidence on matters such as hiring, firing, personnel reviews, financial policies, etc., and there is a need to selectively secure areas from indiscriminate traffic such as in the cases of confidential filing rooms, advance research, etc. The real challenge is to meet these needs in a way superior to demountable partitions and built drywalls.
Both the demountable partitions and the built drywalls have serious deficiencies in solving the needs of a dynamic organization subject to frequent change. Drywall, while initially the least expensive method of obtaining full privacy, is up to 100 percent lost in the first move. Moreover, true acoustic privacy is not obtained by basic drywall construction. Acoustic upgrading of the cavities between studs and of the ceiling path above must be implemented before true speech privacy is attained. Furthermore, standard drywall construction, while looking substantial, will not safely support wall-hung components; structural reinforcing is required.
Demountable partitions are initially expensive and have approximately a 10 percent loss in material in the first and subsequent moves. While the panels and connective devices are modular, the electrification of the systems is still conventional hard wiring which is expensive to modify in the first move. In acoustic performance, demountables are generally inferior to drywalls. The piece-part nature of demountable hardware (connective devices, base covers, etc.) cause many acoustic leaks which negate the performance of the best panels. Further, demountables are dependent on the ceiling for stability. Lightweight suspended ceilings vary in type and module size so greatly that the interface of the partition module to the ceiling is difficult and awkward. In the first and subsequent moves, the ceiling is often damaged. Dependence on these lightweight ceilings for stability limits the use of wall-hung components and significant problems are created by variable ceiling heights. The efficiency of carrying finished or partially finished inventory is difficult because the vertical panel size is not determined until order entry. This causes the industry to be "to order" special fabricators resulting in small orders becoming exorbitantly expensive to produce.
The object of this invention is to provide a space divider assembly with full privacy capability.